The cost of full-time child care and pre-school education in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky makes up the highest single household expense in the Midwest.

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Some families are deciding to cut it out, but at what price?

"When we track test scores, youngsters who start in preschool and stay with us through third grade….85 percent of them pass that third-grade reading test,” Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Mary Ronan said.

A new report by Child Care Aware of America puts the average annual cost in Ohio at about $6,000, only $2,500 less than average annual college tuition in the Buckeye state.

In Indiana, child care costs are higher, averaging around $8,000 per year. That's only about $40 less than a year of college in Indiana.

Northern Kentucky has the lowest average cost of the three states. Parents spend less than $6,000 per year on childcare or preschool. They spend almost $8,000 annually on college.With guidelines for assistance set on the federal level, there isn't a lot of lee way.

"We're obviously there to assist anyone that meets those guidelines. You can fill out an application and we'll help you. We work with 900 homes that are certified to take federal dollars for child care,” said Brian Gregg with Hamilton County Family and Job Services.

In Kentucky, Bradley Stevenson with the Child Care Council told WLWT that the state is no longer accepting applications from income working parents. As a result, more and more parents are letting their kids skip preschool and go straight to kindergarten.

It may be a money saver, but something that educators tend to discourage.

“That extra year or two truly makes a difference long term in your child's development in education," Ronan said.